The Spanish Consul General in New York, Juan Ramón Martínez Salazar, and the Commander of the Training Ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano invited my wife and I to a gala reception aboard the beautiful sail ship (the third largest four-masted tall ship in the world, built in 1927), which is currently docked in New York’s pier 88.

It turned out to be a spectacular evening. The vessel was filled with celebrities: military, politicians with their secret service bodyguards, diplomats, sports, business and entertainment people. The military band played a medley of very Spanish tunes, and there was no shortage of Ibérico ham, Ribera del Duero red wine, and arroz a banda rice, among other typical delicacies.